Despite entering the 2023 season late, Nick Lange has set his sights on achieving a top-three finish in the National Trans Am Series’ Hoosier Cup.

The Queenslander made his first appearance at Race Winton back in June, where he would walk away as the Hoosier Cup leader after two class wins and a 10th and 11th outright

A personal-best round at Sandown Raceway in September then not only further encouraged the 40-year-old’s podium aspirations, but also proved he could be a consistent top 10 finisher in future rounds with a little bit more experience under his belt.

Tickets to Race Sydney and Bathurst International can be purchased here

The result in Victoria was even more impressive considering it was the first time he had competed at the iconic circuit, showing great improvement throughout the entirety of the weekend – with the highlight being the fastest lap in the dying stages of the final race.

Whilst acknowledging that the outright lead might be out of reach, Lange was eager to continue his good run of form and build towards a top three finish in the Hoosier Cup.

“We thought we would just do Trans Am part-time, and pick and choose our rounds, but when we went to Winton, we won the Hoosier Cup for the weekend,” Lange said.

“Queensland Raceway was a local round, so that was always on the cards. We were leading the Cup until the final race and after those couple of rounds, we were third in class so I thought we might as well keep going.

“I’m spewing we didn’t commit to the whole year, we would have been in a great position if we had done Tasmania and Phillip Island.

“If I can finish in the top three, get on the podium, that would be great.”

Reflecting on the previous round, Lange saw his potential and will look to build on his form in the final rounds of the year at Race Sydney and Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

“At Sandown we finished eighth outright and it was my first time driving around there, so it’s all about chipping away and improving on my own driving skills,” Lange explained.

“Towards the end, my last lap was my quickest for the weekend. It went to show I was still learning the track and we were just so consistent. The whole weekend was one of the best in my race career.

“I’m looking forward to finishing out the year at Sydney and Bathurst. I think everybody will be in the same boat trying to keep the car clean to get through both rounds, but if we can get some points, I think we will be in a great position at the end of it all.

“It’s going to be great to return to Bathurst where it started for me last year, I will have that little bit extra familiarity compared to somewhere like Sandown and I managed a top three there last year as well.

“It’s about doing the best we can, finishing and trying to keep our noses clean. Bank points as much as we can and hold the third position we are in and leave with trophies.”

National Trans Am Series will feature under the lights at Sydney Motorsport Park for Race Sydney on 3-4 November, then returning one week later for Supercheap Auto Bathurst International on 10-12 November.

Tickets to both events can be purchased here